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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Posted by: scoot1er 04:14 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
| In reply to: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - MockingbirdGirl 03:32 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
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| Near the end of the article, Billington says, "The final Rodgers and Hammerstein venture was a TV adaption of Cinderella..." He had already identified Flower Drum Song as having been written in 1958 and The Sound of Music in 1959. Did he not know that Cinderella was 1957? Curious. He also references the Sondheim quote in which Sondheim says that Hammerstein had "limited talent." I always found this to be arrogant and condescending on Sondheim's part. I don't think he redeems himself by saying that Hammerstein had "infinite soul," which I believe happens to be true. | |
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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:52 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - scoot1er 04:14 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
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| I've always hated that Sondheim quote about Hammerstein. I would say that Hammerstein had "limited talent" in the same way that even the greatest artists in history had "limited talent" -- i.e., no one can do EVERYTHING, and even the supreme masters had their failures. | |
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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Last Edit: comedywest 10:39 am EDT 07/09/21 | |
| Posted by: comedywest 10:24 am EDT 07/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - Michael_Portantiere 10:52 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Posted by: StageLover 06:28 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - scoot1er 04:14 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
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| I agree. Hammerstein was Sondheim's mentor, at a time Sondheim needed one. Some might say Sondheim was just being honest. I'd say ungrateful. |
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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 10:58 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 10:54 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - StageLover 06:28 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
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| For someone who is a master of words in his lyrics, I don't get why Sondheim would phrase his description of Hammerstein that way. Certainly Hammerstein didn't write in the witty style of Lorenz Hart, but he did his own style successfully and well. For every "lark that is learning to pray" Hammerstein wrote, Sondheim had his own "it's alarming how charming I feel". Hammerstein may not have been ashamed of the former either, unlike Sondheim who is of the latter. Sondheim got a lot of advice, important business introductions and musical theater know-how from Hammerstein, and it just doesn't seem right for him to phrase Hammerstein as having "limited talent", even if he wants to contrast it with the compliment of unlimited soul. He should have done a rewrite. In acting class, I recall the teacher saying if you want to play someone who is mean, have the objective of "just being really honest". |
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| re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cozy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 12:26 am EDT 07/09/21 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:20 am EDT 07/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - PlayWiz 10:54 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
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| Well, Sondheim says a whole lot of things about other writers in the "Finishing The Hat" books that I disagree with, and I find his opinions there often way too sour. BUT - they're his opinions, and I suppose it's interesting to know what he really thinks of his colleagues' work. I'd rather he speak his mind than throwing phony compliments around, even if I don't agree very much with his assessments. | |
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| Well | |
| Posted by: dramedy 04:28 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Rodgers and Hammerstein: cosy box-office bankers or radical trailblazers? - scoot1er 04:14 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
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| Compared to Sondheim probably everyone is limited talent. So Hammerstein is in good company. There is quite a bit of variety in Sondheim work compared to many other composers. | |
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| re: Well | |
| Posted by: larry13 09:10 pm EDT 07/08/21 | |
| In reply to: Well - dramedy 04:28 pm EDT 07/07/21 | |
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| I truly believe that, at least in this instance, Sondheim was not being arrogant--or ungrateful to his mentor. As I recall it--and he has since regretted, I believe, making critical public remarks, especially these, he was putting Rodgers down as a person(but acknowledging the composer's "unlimited talent.") His point was to contrast Rodgers' "finite humanity" with the "infinite humanity" of Hammerstein, certainly quite a tribute to a man he loved. | |
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